Maya's POV
The war horns blasted at dawn.
Twenty thousand soldiers moved across the Crimson Wastes like a tide. The industrial district stretched before them—broken factories, collapsed warehouses, supply yards where kingdoms would fight and die.
Maya watched from the tactical tower with Marcus beside her. The minimap showed everything. Blue dots for Kaden's forces. Red dots for the enemy. Green zones for territories they needed to claim.
"First assault team moving into position," Marcus reported, watching the screen. "Western forces detected. They're scattered. No unified defense."
Kaden's three-pronged assault hit exactly where Maya had planned.
The western enemies didn't stand a chance.
They were surrounded from three angles at once. No escape routes. No reinforcements coming. Just soldiers with nowhere to run and Kaden's warriors closing in.
By midday, the first territory fell.
But the victory tasted like ash.
The medical tent was overflowing.
